Detonator combination



' G B. YOUNG DETONA'IOR COMBINATION Filed Aug. 31, 1940 May 2, 1-944.

2 Sheets-Sheet. l

G0? a. YOU/VG BY Ma 2, .1944. a. awouNG 2,347,866

DETONAT OR COMBINATION Filed Aug. 51, 1940 I 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 60K 5. you/v6 Patented May 2, 1944 DETONATOR COMBINATION Guy B. Young, Latrobe, Pa., assignor to American Cyanamld & Chemical Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 31, 1940, Serial No. 354,948

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to means for attaching detonators or caps to blasting or explosive packages.

Explosives in the form of sticks or cartridges, such as dynamite, or larger packages containing an explosive charge, are usually detonated by a blasting cap ignited either with a safety fuse or electrically, said caps being either of the instantaneous or delay type.

It is common practice in exploding such packages in the form of cartridges, to punch a hole through the paper or cardboard wrapper thereof with a suitable punch and then insert the blasting cap into the hole. Where delay electric blasting caps are used, due to the fact that these are considerably longer than caps of the instantaneous variety, it is impracticable to punch an adequate hole into the explosive unless the package containing it is of considerable size. Consequently, in the cartridge type of explosive, it is customary to slit the wrapper and explosive longitudinally, lay the slit open, insert the delay electric blasting cap into the thus formed groove and then tie the same in place as well as possible.

It will be apparent in all of the above cases, that the covering of the explosive package has been ruptured. Inasmuch as considerable care has been exercised at the explosive factory to make the package water-tight, insertion of the blasting cap in the above manner destroys the effect of this efiort.

There is on the market today a device which aims to avoid the objections to the above practice. This consists of a cardboard tube having pairs of spaced apart circumferential slits therein, the cardboard in between the slits being pushed toward the center of the tube and the cap inserted between the straps thus formed. When, therefore, a blaster wishes to apply the blasting cap to a cartridge, the latter is pushed endwise within the tube holding the former. Due to the fact that the cap projects within the tube and thus destroys the cylindrical continuity of the inner surface thereof, it has been found that many times the cartridge, while being inserted, catches on the end of the cap and in forcing the cartridge into the tube, the outside wrapper is torn. This practice, therefore, is almost as objectionable as the idea of deliberately puncturing the cartridge wrapper in order to insert the cap.

This practice is also objectionable due to the fact that insertion of the cartridge of dynamite may be difficult, causing the operator to exert from its fixed position in such manner that the base, or explosive portion, of the cap is out of contact with the cartridge, so causing misflred or burning holes.

The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to avoid the above objections and to provide means or a holder for attaching a cap whether of the instantaneous or delay type to an explosive package without in any way damaging the outside wrapper of the latter, in a positive manner, so as to assure detonation of the explosive and of such a character as will protect the detonator against damage or dislodgement while the charge is being placed or lowered within the shot hole, all in an efficient and cheap maniier.

To this end, the invention contemplates a shield of a length no less than that of a blasting cap and of a width sufficient to adequately protect the latter, with means for attaching this shield with its contained cap to the outside periphery of the explosive package. This attaching means may either be integral with the shield. such as a strap or the like adapted to encircle the package or it may be separate from the shield. Examples of the latter are straps, tape or ties of one kind or another.

The invention further contemplates a shield having a longitudinal groove either angular or arcuate so that the cap will lie therein and when the shield and primer is attached to the cylindrical cartridge, the sides of the shield will lie in proximityto the periphery of the cartridge and thus protect the cap from damage.

The invention further contemplates the shaping of the endsof the shield so that the edges thereof will also lie in proximity to the periphery of the cartridge, thus adequately protecting the cap.

The invention further contemplates the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a holder constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1 showing a manner of attaching a delay electric blasting cap with its electrical leads;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the holder of Figs. 1 or 2 attached to a cartridge;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of holder;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the holder of Fig. 4 applied to a cartridge;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of another type of sufiicient force, dislodge and move the delay cap holder using tapes as the aflixing means;

Fig. '1 is an end elevation of the combination of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view of a modified assembly;

Fig. 9 is an end view thereof;

. Fig. 10 is a view showing an end treatment of a. shield;

Fig. 11 shows the completed end constructed according to the method of Fig. 10.

Referring now with particularity to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a holder which includes an elongated shield portion I of a length greater than that of the cap 2. This cap may be either of the instantaneous or delay vs.-

riety and capable of being exploded either by a safety fuse or by electricity. While the holders of this invention are particularly adapted for use with long delay caps, yet the invention is not to be restricted thereto.

Th shield I is provided with one or more pairs of transverse slits 3 pressed inwardly so as to form a web 4. By curving, arching or folding the shield longitudinally, a groove is formed and the primer 2 may be slipped into the groove and held between the main body of the shield I and a web or strap 4. The will be determined by the length of primer to be held in the shield.

The ends of the shield I may be either blunt or pointed or, where it is desired to have the edges of the ends lie more or less closely to the periphery of the cartridge, the expedient shown in Figs. and .11 may be resorted to. There the end of shield I is split longitudinally as at 6 and diagonal cuts 1 made in the end portion so as to form a fish tail. When the two pointed ends are thus brought together, a configuration as shown location of these straps in Fig. 11 results, which pulls the ends of the shield along a longitudinal line down toward a plane including the edges of the main body thereof I This thus forms an effective covering for the cap so that when attached to a cartridge and inserted in a shot hole, the ends of the shield will not catch upon projections on the side of the hole and effectively prevent dislodgement of or damage to the cap.

Again a depression or groove may be stamped in the holder to accomplish the above object. In Fig. 1, means for attaching the shield and cap to a cartridge or explosive package is shown integral with the shield itself. This consists of an e=ongated band 8 extending outwardly at right angles from the shield I and centrally thereof and a wider projecting band 9 extending outwardly from the opposite side of the shield. The projecting band portion 9 is provided with one or more slits I0 so that when the holder with its contained cap is attached to a cartridge as shown in Fig. 3, the end of the longer band 8 is inserted through one or both of the slits I0 and bent back upon itself to thus securely hold the primer against the cartridge.

From the standpoint of manufacture, where it is desired to make a holder of the type shown in Fig. 1 capable of fitting explosive packages having girths of different dimensions, the band portion 8 may be made in uniform lengths with one or more perforations II arranged transversely thereof so that the excess length of the band may be torn off when used with packages of small diameter.

Where it is desired either to market a holder and cap or to insert the cap at a point remote from the shot hole and transport both holder and cap thereto, the electric ignition wires I2, usually arranged in a figure-of-8 hank, may be placed along the longitudinal groove of the shield I as shown in Fig. 2 and the elongated strap 8 folded thereagainst. Thus both the primer and its ignition wires are adequately protected during transportation and until use.

In Fig. 4, a modified form of holding means for the shield I is shown to consist of one or more relatively short straps I3 extending from one or more side edges of the shield I and adapted to embrace the cartridge or package. Where shield and straps I3 are of metal, the straps may be crimped around the package as shown in Fig. 5 or they may terminate short of an overlap and rely upon the natural resiliency of the metal to hold the shield in place.

In Fig. 6, a modification is shown in which the holding means for the shield is separate therefrom. Such holding means may consist of one or more pieces of tape I4 adapted to encircle both the shield with its contained primer and the For convenience, such tapes may be coated on one or more sides with adhesive and under such circumstances, may be longitudinally applied to one side of the shield where they are accessible for use. 7

Again the shield may have adhesive applied along its edge portions or may be constructed completely of adhesive material so that when it, with its cap, is applied to the outside of an explosive package, it may be caused to adhere thereto. Such adhesive may be of any of the well known types, preferably of the waterproof variety so as not to become dislodged in the event the package and cap holder is inserted into a wet hole.

Such separate holding means may obviously be Of the strand variety, such as string or wire.

In Figs. 8 and 9, such an attachment includes a tie I5 attached to the side edges of the shield I and fastened together as with a knot at I6.

In all of the above forms of the invention, the shield may be made of any desirable material such as non-sparking metal, heavy paper, cardboard, synthetic resins, adhesive tape, it being only necessary that the shield be of sufilcient body and stiffness to protect'the contained cap from dislodgement or injury during insertion into the shot hole.

It will be apparent from the above that such a means of holding a cap in juxtaposition to a cartridge or explosive package is applicable to all types of caps or other elongated ignition devices and accomplishes the result without in any way mutilating or damaging the waterproof characteristic of the package.

I claim:

1. In combination, a cylindrical cartridge, 21 blasting cap holder having an elongated shield of an area sufficient to cover the cap, but insufficient to cover the entire cartridge, said shield being provided with a longitudinal g oove, a blasting cap in said groove, means securing the cap in said groove, and means for securing the cap and its holder to the outside of the cartridge.

2. In combination, a cylindrical cartridge, 9. blasting cap holder having an elongated shield of an area sufiicient to cover the cap, but insufficient to cover the entire cartridge, said shield being provided with a longitudinal groove, a blastin cap in said groove, means securing the cap in said groove, and means integral with said holder for securing the cap and its holder to the outside of the cartridge.

cartridge.

GUY B. YOUNG. 

